BAHAMIAN YACHT CHARTER REQUIREMENTS

The Bahamian Government requires anyone chartering a yacht in Bahamian waters to hold a recognized certification.

For experienced sailors, NauticEd, in conjunction with Sunsail, has a simple solution: you can obtain the NauticEd Bareboat Charter Master Certification which is accepted by the Bahamian Government.

What is involved to gain the Bareboat Charter Master Certification?

See the exact step by step details in the section below. In general, you will enter your previous sailing/boating experience (50 days required) into the NauticEd eLogbook and take the appropriate online classes. Provided that you meet the experience and skill requirements (see details below) and pass the online courses, NauticEd will award you the Bareboat Charter Master Certification (for sailboats or for powerboats as appropriate). You will then visit your Sunsail My Account and upload your new certification into your pre-departure checklist. If you have less that 50 days of experience but 40 or more, you can qualify for the Barebaot Charter Master certification by passing an on the water assessment of your skills with a NauticEd American National Standards Instructor/Assessor.

*See details and further requirements below

Who Is NauticEd?

NauticEd is a globally recognized sailing education, certifying, and licensing company. The United States Coast Guard and NASBLA recognize NauticEd as meeting the American National Standards for boating education. NauticEd helps students become sailing competent by merging the latest technology, learning techniques, and on-the-water training into one globally accepted program. Our professional and accredited sailing schools are located around the world, providing immersive training and a supportive sailing community to help students accomplish their personal goals. Learn more about NauticEd.

What Should I Exactly Do?

  1. Sign up for a FREE NauticEd account. If you already have a NauticEd account, sign in.

  2. Purchase these courses Cost $175.
    1. FOR SAILBOATS: Take the online Bareboat Charter Master Bundle of courses online
      NOTE: The NauticEd Captain Certification is of a higher level than the Bareboat Charter Master Certification and is thus therefore accepted as well.

    2. FOR POWERBOATS: Take the online Bareboat Charter Master for Powerboats Bundle of courses.
  3. You will see your online courses (after your purchase) in your Curriculum tab - found in your My NauticEd dashboard. Below is a quick image of your Dashboard's tabs.


    your NauticEd dashboard

  4. Go to your NauticEd Logbook tab in your My NauticEd dashboard:
    • You can set up your favorite vessels under the Vessels tab (this will help speed entry)
    • Then begin making logbook entries (i.e., Add Logbook Entry tab). The system remembers your last entry so that the process goes quickly
    • Since your more recent history is more relevant, we suggest that you start with your most recent year and then work backward in time
    • Can’t remember the exact date? That’s OK! Just guesstimate the date - for example, if you know that you sailed about 5 times last summer, then make 5 summertime entries, and so on…
    • Don’t go back further than 15 years
    • DO NOT MAKE KNOWINGLY FALSE ENTRIES OR EXAGGERATIONS! If there’s an accident, then you could be held civilly or even criminally liable for chartering under purposefully false pretenses.

  5. The Bareboat Charter Master Certification - Experience Required:
    • the Sailboat certification requires 50 overall days of sailing experience in your logbook, 25 of which were as master of the sailing vessel and 25 of which were on a sailing vessel greater than 28 ft (8.5m).
    • the Powerboat ertification requires 50 overall days of boating experience in your logbook, 25 of which were as master of the vessel and 25 of which were on a vessel greater than 28 ft (8.5m).
    • if you have less that 50 days experience but 35 or more (15 as master), you can qualify for the Bareboat Charter Master certification by passing an on the water assessment of your skills with a NauticEd American National Standards Instructor/Assessor.

  6. Once you have completed the required courses above and logged the appropriate experience above, you will be awarded the Bareboat Charter Master Rank and associated certificate as appropriate for sailboats or powerboats. This will be viewable under your Sailing Resume tab on your My NauticEd dashboard. NOTE: for now, the Powerboat Certification will be emailed to you manually - Contact NauticEd

  7. Upload your certificate to Sunsail:
    • Click on the Sailing Resume tab in NauticEd
    • Then click on the Sailing Certificate Button and download your Bareboat Charter Master or Captain Sailing Certification. Note: for now for Powerboats Contact NauticEd
    • Upload this certificate to your pre-departure Check List on Sunsail My Account
    • ALTERNATIVELY - if you have a NauticEd SLC then download this and upload to Sunsail instead.

how to share your resume

OPTIONAL GLOBAL SAILING LICENSE

Upon completion of your Bareboat Charter Master certification above, you are then only one step away from achieving the prestigious SLC, a global sailing licence which is required by Mediterranean countries and port authorities as well as the Seychelles. If you love ancient ruins, stunning, rugged coastlines, delicious food, warm waters and breathtaking views, a Mediterranean yacht charter with Sunsail will be paradise for you.  

At anytime in the future, when you are ready, you can upgrade your Bareboat Charter Master certification to the SLC.

All the details of the SLC are listed here: www.nauticed.org/SLC

See details on how to gain the SLC here